Portable floor construction



June 3 1958 J. F. JONES V 3 9 PORTABLE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 25, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l 22 JOSEPH F JONES INVENTOR.

BY 7am ATTORNEY June 3,, 1958 J. F. JONES 2,836,862

PORTABLE FLobR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 23, 1953 j' -g 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 a Z223 i zj z Z7 i0. 6. /.5 M r/ g z 6 5 707 g m u u u a a a 2 1 W u f 77 /fi JOSEPH F-T JONES INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY United States Patent PORTABLE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Joseph F. Jones, Fort Worth, Tex., assignor to S. M. Lawson, Jr., Fort Worth, Tex.

Application January 23, 1953, Serial NO. 332,891

4 Claims. (Cl. 20-6) This invention relates to a portable floor construction to be assembled in unitary sections for use for dancing, roller skating, and the like, and its principal object resides in the provision of a floor which can be installed in buildings, such as gymnasiums, auditoriums, pavillions, and similar public structures, for sports events, and other entertainment.

An object of the invention is that of providing a portable floor which can be readily and quickly installed and yet provide a floor which is not subject to warping, expanding, or yielding under use, as is characteristic of many stationary installations and a prime object of the invention is manifest in the provision of a flexible floor especially desirable for such sports as basket ball, and other indoor sports.

A further object of the invention is that of providing a floor construction which can be installed on any supporting surface, such as concrete, ice, or other base, and capable of being installed or removed in a relatively short period of time and transported to another location or stored, and an important feature of the invention is its ready adaptability for many and varied uses in different locations while affording a durable as well as a highly desirable floor.

Broadly, the invention contemplates the provision of a portable floor construction whose units or sections can be joined with such precision and smoothness as to be even more desirable for dancing, and the like, than permanent fioors of the type installed on stationary joists, for the reason that tension on the supporting members, and the strips themselves, can be constantly supervised and adjusted.

While the foregoing objects are paramount, other and lesser objects will become manifest as the description proceeds, taken in connection with the appended drawings wherein.

Figure l is an isometric illustration fragmentarily showing two sections of the floor construction about to be longitudinally joined, the joists being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end view of a marginal sec. tion, showing the adjustable tensioning device.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of a marginal section illustrating the marginal retaining members and their association with the joists.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a floor com posed of a plurality of sections and showing the diagonal joints between the sections, a plurality of tensioning cables being shown in dotted lines transversely of the floor sections.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a floor transversely of a plurality of sections, illustrating the marginal members and the tensioning device.

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the sections, showing the diagonal or angular ends, and showing the joists or sills in dotted lines.

Fatented June 3, 1958 Figure 7 is an end view of the section shown in Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is an edge view of the section shown in Figure 6.

It is common practice, in laying any type of portable floors, to either arrange the individual strips 10 so that their ends are even, in alignment across the ends of a section H, or alternately staggered so that every other strip extends beyond the intermediate strips to provide a finger arrangement by which the floor sections, when assembled, will interlock. The present invention is designed to aiford a floor assembly which can be more easily and economically installed or removed with greater precision and with less possibility for damage to the sections.

It is therefore desirable to assemble the floor strips 10, which are conventionally formed with tongue and groove, so that their ends 12, while having right-angular cuts, will be in a step formation, that is, each strip 10 being extended slightly beyond its adjacent member to define a substantial serrated margin 13 which is angular with respect to the longitudinal edges 14 of the section 11, as shown in Figures 1 and 6.

The strips 10 are attached to transverse joists or sills 15 which are arranged in series and spaced, as in Figure 6, and on each end of the section 11 is an angular joist 16 which is in alignment with the angular end margins 13 of the sections 11. Another angular joist 17 is also arranged transversely of the strips 10 intermediate their ends, as shown also in Figure 6.

The joists 15, 16 and 17 each have their ends formed with depressions 18 and 19 on the top and bottom, respectively, as shown in Figures 3 and 7, so that the sections 11 can be joined more expeditiously under varying weather conditions, as when the atmosphere is moist to the extent that expansion of the wood would result. The opposing side edges 14 of the sections 11 can be connected so that no visible point is manifest, as shown in Figure 4, and the end joints are uniform and smooth.

It is obvious that the sections 11 can be joined more easily when the ends of the strips 10 are arranged in the angular fashion described, irrespective of climatic conditions, and by extending a tension across the completed floor, transversely of the assembled sections 11, both side and end joints therebetween can be drawn together more firmly. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figure 4, the tensioning device being shown in dotted lines.

The floor is outlined by marginal members 20 and 21 which are preferably of greater sectional dimensions than the strips 10, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. These members are installed about the edges of the assembled floor and serve to bind the sections 11 into a unit through the tensioning cables 22 which have their ends secured by clamps 23 to hooks 24 which have internally threaded members 25 thereon through which are threaded rods 26 extending through the marginal members 20 and have polygonal heads 27 by which they can be rotated by a wrench, or other suitable tool. The marginal members 20 bear against the ends of the sills 15, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, while the members 21 are secured to the tops of the sills 15 by dowels 21, shown in Figure 3.

Thus, when the sections 11 are assembled in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 4, the members 20 having been positioned and the cables 22 slacked, the members 21 are placed and the cables 22 tightened to make the assembly rigid. It is, of course, necessary that a certain member of the sections 11 be formed with one end straight, or with the ends of the strips 10 even, to finish the edges of the assembled floor transversely of the sections 11, as is apparent in Figure 4.

Manifestly, the structure herein shown and described e and on said strips laterally.

is capable of certain changes and r'nodifications from time to time, bypersons skilled in the art, without departsection, the said floor strips having their ends squared and, offset in steppedxrelationship to define an angular 'jointbetween said sections, marginal members arranged f transversely, of said joists and engaging their ends, and adjustable. means including a cable connected between said lmarginall members for exerting a tension thereon a 2. In a portable floor, a prefabricated'section comprising 'a series of parallel spaced .joistsand aniangularly arranged joist on .each end of the series of said parallel joists, a seriesofnjuxtaposed :flooring strips secured to said joists, each, .beingfextended on one end'of said secing the ends of said joists, and a cableconnecting-said 1 marginal members and having meanstf or tensioning the said flooring strips in longitudinal association.

' tion beyond 'it's adjacent stripl defi ning a substantially serrated pattern, a plurality of marginal members abutt- 25 3. In a'portable floor, a prefabricated'section comprising, in combination, a plurality of series of parallel spaced joists having aLseries, of juxtaposed flooring strips secured to said joists, an angular joist arranged on each end of each series of said joists and disposed in the same'angle with respect to said parallel spaced joists, the said flooring strips arranged so that each is extended on one end beyond itsfadjacent member to define 'a substantially angular serrated end for said floor section, marginal members arranged transversely of the end of said joists and abutting the same, and an adjustable cable connecting said marginal members for tensioning a plurality of sections into a; portable floor.

4. In a portable floor construction, a prefabricated section comprising a plurality "of series of parallel spaced joists and an angularly arranged joist on each end of said series of joists, a series of juxtaposed floor strips j secured to said joists to form a section of said floor, one

end of each of said floor strips being ofi'set withrespect to its adjacent strip to define an angle in alignment with said angular joists, marginal members abutting 'thetends of said joists, and cable means connecting said marginal members for tensioning a plurality of said sections into I References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS De Angnera- Sept. 1, 1953 

